The field of the invention is foldable fans and signs.
Hand-held fans have been known for centuries, as both decorative and functional objects. Recent examples include U.S. design Pat. Nos. D312529, D389301, D338778, and D334951.
Fans usually contain a body portion and a handle. The body portion comprises a paper or other flexible sheet, that is folded between two receiving arms. The handle can be one or two pieces, and is generally not known to be foldable. The hand portion always extends radially out from the center of the fan portion.
There is a class of fans known as pocket fans. In such fans the fan portion folds about itself to form a tight bundle, which then folds into the handle. U.S. Pat. No. 555,339 to Rubin (1896) is an example of such a fan.
The present invention is directed to fans having a handle that is disposed in a non-radial manner with respect to the center of the fan portion. In preferred embodiments the handle is substantially parallel to an imaginary circumferential tangent of the fan. In an especially preferred embodiment the fan is expanded at two radial spokes. Each of the spokes has a distal end, and the two distal ends are used to support the handle. An angle formed between the two spokes when the fan is in the expanded configuration is at least 15 degrees.
Other contemplated fans include hand held fans having a foldable material configurable between an open position and a closed position, comprising first and second spokes, and a handle that couples to the spokes to form a substantially triangular arrangement when the fan is in the open position. Such fans may have a handle that has a cavity sized and dimensioned to receive the foldable material and the spokes.
Some contemplated fans will have a foldable material portion printed with a warning. It is contemplated that it would be advantageous if the warning were discernable from a distance of at least X feet when the fan is in the open position where X is one of 15, 30, 75, 150, 300, 450, and 900. It is also contemplated that the warning will comprise a non-alphanumeric symbol, a word, or a phrase with any symbol word or phrase being positioned such that the handle is below the word or phrase when the fan is in the open position. Some contemplated words for use in the warning include the following: stop, warning, ped, pedestrian, and crossing. It is contemplated that it may be advantageous to improve visibility of fans by making at least portions of the fans reflective or luminous.
It is contemplated that in some embodiments the handle will consist essentially of one unitary piece, while other embodiments will have a multi-piece handle. In a preferred multi-piece handle, the handle comprises a first segment rotatably coupled to an end of the first spoke and a second segment rotatably coupled to an end of the second spoke, and the first and second segments are adapted to be coupled to form an elongated handle coupling the ends of the first and second spokes together. In some embodiments, the handle may be adapted to facilitate holding the fan in a stationary position perpendicular to a surface by a person standing on the surface. Some embodiments may have a handle that is shaped to conform to the shape of a hand gripping the handle. Such shape conforming handles may have a cavity sized and dimensioned to receive the foldable material and the spokes with the handle being substantially larger than the cavity and having an exterior surface dimensioned to fill the interior of a partially closed fist.
In a preferred fan the first and second spokes are each coupled to a separate edge of the folded material portion of the fan; the spokes are elongated and each have a first end rotatably coupled to a joining member; the first spoke has a second end rotatably coupled to the handle; the handle is adapted to be coupled to a second end of the second spoke while the fan is in the open position; the handle and spokes are adapted to bias the handle to remain in a fixed position relative to the spokes while the fan is in the open position; the handle has a cavity sized and dimensioned to at least partially receive the fan material and spokes when the fan is in the closed position; the handle and spokes are adapted to bias the spokes to remain at least partially within the handle when the fan is in the closed position; and the folded material portion of the fan comprises a reflective material and a warning, the warning comprising a symbol, word, or phrases visible from a distance of at least 100 feet while the fan is in the open position.
Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.